The all the new Dabbawala menu at Tamra, Shangri-La

In a line: A all new Dabbawala menu inspired from the world-famous Dabbwalas of Mumbai.

Cuisine: North Indian, South Indian, Continental

Price: Rs. 1100 per Dabba

Dates: Till 31st May

Location: Tamra, Shangri-La

Must haves: Desi dabba

In today’s lifestyle, where we are always on the move, it becomes difficult to enjoy a wholesome and hearty home cooked meal for lunch. Unless you are in Mumbai. In which case, the dabbawalas come to rescue.This unsurpassed 125-year-old network still functions without fail, where all the dabbawalas criss-cross the ever bustling Mumbai, delivering hundreds of thousands of meals to workers in time for lunch.

Taking inspiration from this infallible lunch delivery mechanism, Tamra, the award-winning multi cuisine restaurant at Shangri-La, presents its patrons with some wholesome and hearty tiffin lunch experience, and are taking that experience up a notch, by offering a variety of tiffins to choose from.

One can not only relish flavours from Northern and Southern parts of India, but can savour some Chin-dian delicacies in the Desi Chineez(that’s right. Chineez!), or can even take their palate on a ride beyond India and try the Phorner Dabba that comprises of baked macaroni, grilled chicken, ratatouille and garlic bread, and Thailand ka Dabba which has chicken krawpaw and vegetables green curry along with jasmine rice.

Masala Cola

Shikanji

Even though the general presumption would be that since the dabba is bring served at a five-star property, it would end up costing a hefty sum of money. However, each dabba at Tamra costs just Rs. 1100, and is actually good enough to feed two hungry souls. This is something that I realised, after a friend and I ordered two individual dabbas for ourselves!

The brightly coloured dabbas were perfect to uplift our spirits, and we were assured that something great was in store for us. But what made it even special was that the dabbas were brought to our table by a dabbawala on his bicycle. The very essence has been kept intact, and Tamra certainly deserves brownie points for that.

Each dabba can be paired with popular classics such as a thanda bunta, shikanji or masala cola. All of which are perfect options to get respite from the scorching Delhi heat!

We started our meal with the South ka Dabba that had a luscious and creamy Andhra fish curry, which I paired with the fluffy basmati rice that came along. Also, there was the kodi vepudu or spicy fried chicken tossed in masalas and a simple aloo sabzi that was demolished with puris.

Though the South ka Dabba tasted great, but the aroma of the spices that came while opening the Desi Dabba, forced me to believe that this dabba would be better. And it was. The yellow tadke wali dal had a delicious red chilli and garlic tempering, much like the ones we have at home. Bhuna boti masala had morsels of perfectly cooked mutton, tossed in a spicy tomato and onion based masala that I had with the fragrant tamatar ka pulav, which had crispy fried onions, which added a bit of crunch and sweetness to the overall dish. The papad, chutney and salad made it a wholesome meal, and one, which you certainly wouldn’t want to miss.

Confession: Overall, the Dabbawala menu at Tamra is promising and would make you leave with a full tummy, without burning a hole in your pocket. The swift and attentive service, paired with the fuss-free interiors and some delicious food, make this place a must visit!